Praeclarus
Praeclarus is an underground region and the capital region of the Makgrull. Geography The glorious city-state of Praeclarus is a wonder to behold. Vast and sprawling, it has been untouched for centuries as it and its people, the Makgrull, grew and grew. Gardens of rocks have been cultivated and made beautiful over decades of hard work from generations of Makgrull. The grand diamond towers of the main city of Praeclarus are painstakingly carved from the great natural landscapes, and then polished to near gleaming perfection. They are hundreds of feet high, and can be seen for miles from the ground. Or at least, could be. If one could breathe underwater. Praeclarus, for all its wondrous towers of earth and coral, and its sprawling rock gardens, has been unheard of by the rest of modern civilization only due to being under the ocean. It glimmers and shines when the sunlight travels down to it through the rolling waves of the northeastern waters of the Sea of Glass. Fish swim through Praeclarus like multicolored birds. Dolphins dance and swim, and play from dawn to dusk and on into the night, only to do it all over again the next day. Deep sea creatures, things that have no names, sometimes bother the Makgrull, only to be rebuffed by the combined efforts of the people of Praeclarus. Peaceful and untouched by the politics of those on the surface, the Makgrull have enjoyed years of silent prosperity and growth that have propelled their tiny tribe-like towns into the vast city-state of Praeclarus that can be seen today. And they would have continued unhindered and been quite content, if they had not begun to see strange wood demons – their bellies filled with tiny, noisy multi-colored demons who threw things into the sea – come over their sky. The Makgrull have also begun to hear rumors and stories of strange creatures coming deep into the waters themselves, and taking precious things with no care to what is being left behind. So, though they are normally peaceful, and though they do not wish to become involved, involved they must become. Made of coral and carved into high rising earth and moss, the towering city of Praeclarus dominates all around it. Though many Makgrull live in the towers themselves, with the city leaders living in the Grand Tower, most Makgrull make their homes on the seafloor in huts of stones and sand. Intricately designed, and having had decades to be laid out, viewing the Rock Gardens of Praeclarus is a marvel into and of themselves. The most marvelous of them incorporate colorful reefs, which are the homes of many fish – creating living features to an otherwise still garden – that make things even lovelier looking. One of the deepest know underwater trenches of the world, known as the Maw of Telluris, can be found to have one of its edges ending near Praeclarus. Dark and dangerous, only the bravest of Makgrull have tried to explore even the tops of it’s depths. People The Makgrull are (on average) grey and slick skinned, with their evolution from dolphins obvious even to those who don’t look for it. Though humanoid in body, their head is closer to that of a short nosed dolphin, and their wide smiles are full of round friendly teeth. Their eyes are found more to the sides of their heads then the forefront, but this doesn’t seem to bother their degree of vision so much as it enhances it. The Makgrull, in their most common form, have small fins on their fore-arms, and a larger dorsal fin along their backs. Though their ancestral evolution suggests they came from dolphins, the Makgrull no longer have the long, powerful tails, and instead have bony ridges along their bipedal ankles that, when clasped together, naturally lock into place and create a sudo-tail for easier swimming. Between their fingers and toes are thin filaments of skin that act as a small form of webbing to assist in swimming. Where humans have cuticles upon their hands and feet, Makgrull have a much firmer form of bony nails that they commonly utilize to gut fish. Male Makgrull are usually larger, stronger, and have duller grey skin, where female Makgrull are typically sleeker and more dexterous, with shinier skin. Their natural speech is a series of clicks and chirps, which are more easily heard within the water. Through careful observation and imitation, they also have learned to imitate some speech from the small demons found in the wood demons’ bellies. They know that most of the small demons call themselves ‘people’ or ‘humans’, but there are some with different names. The most curious thing about Makgrull, however, is that evolution doesn’t appear done with them. In truth, it is more like evolution took a look at them, decided that it wanted to do something more with them, started to work on it, but then became distracted. Probably by monkeys. Whatever the reason, Makgrull find themselves able to make minor changes to their body. The less skilled are only able to change things like their internal body temperature, adjust themselves (to some extent) for water pressure, or their ability to breathe air or water as needed. The more skilled can alter their skin tone to some degree and facial features, or even pull in their fins into their arms and back. Makgrull are naturally curious and playful. They like to dance with dolphins, and find new rocks to expand the large gardens that surround the city. Makgrull eat fish and squid, but particularly enjoy the rare whale that swims through the sovereign waters of Praeclarus. Though as a whole, the Makgrull dislike fighting, they still have their fair share of warriors. Mostly, these warriors remain watchful along the borders of the city, and along the edge of the Maw. In times of trouble, however, the Makgrull can and will band together to repel any monsters or large sea creatures that might threaten Praeclarus. Resources The size of a sheep, the Praeclarus Squid has been domesticated by the Makgrull and lazily float in the fields of the rock gardens and coral reefs. The Squid are used for food in times of troubles, but mostly are cultivated for their Praeclarus Ink. Makgrull enjoy using the ink to write upon deep sea cave walls, and for some, they find sharp fish bones and tattoo intricate designs onto their bodies. Praeclarus Ink does not wash away in water, and must be scrubbed out utilizing the tentacle of a still living Praeclarus Squid Matron. The Matron naturally absorbs the Ink, and her body transforms it into liquid food for younger Praeclarus Squid. Primarily used by the Makgrull for building their tall tower buildings, the Adamas Coral is a beautiful mineral that may have other uses. It grows upon the lip of the Maw of Telluris, and can get as tall as buildings itself, if left uncultivated. To those who know the secret, it is very easy to dig up whole. Makgrull have a love-love relationship with Whales. Whales love to try and eat the strange creatures living in the Adamas Coral towers, and Makgrull love to kill them and eat them. And use their bones for weapons, tools, and whatever else they can. If the Whales were not so persistent in their pursuit of Makgrull meat, Makgrulls would never have developed a taste for Whale lard. Prepared properly over undersea steam vents, the lard is a delicacy among Makgrull. Makgrull have occasionally found that the wood demons and their lesser belly demons drop small coins of shiny yellow metal that the Makgrull understand is called “No, not the bloody gold!” based upon what is most commonly yelled when it falls into the water. Within Praeclarus, the small, shiny coins have been placed in places of importance, such as in the Great Tower or in the centers of the Rock Gardens. Makgrull have found that No-not-the-bloody-gold is paired very pleasingly with the Adamas Coral, and desperately want more to make their city even more Praeclarus then Praeclarus already is. Religion Nearly all Makgrull are followers of Praeclar, Lord of the Perfect Seas. Praeclar teaches that working on the beauty of that which is nearby, and not of one’s self, will improve the beauty of that which can be found within, so long as one does not corrupt that which is without. Change that which is not beautiful to make it more beautiful. Change that which is beautiful to make it more beautiful. It makes perfect sense to the Makgrull. Shiny things are nice, and more shiny things, in the right spots, will improve the already shiny things. It just has to be done without making others not shiny. Praeclar, Lord of the Perfect Seas, understands that things that do not mix can sometimes mix in ways that no one would have thought of before. He taught this to his children. They taught this to their children. They taught this to their children, and so on, and so on, to time immemorial. The holder of the stone tablets, the wisdoms of Praeclar himself, is known as the Sanctus Makgrull, and is the leader of the city-state of Praeclarus. References http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18657358&postcount=57 Category:Regions Category:Underwater Regions Category:Regions of Telluris